What You Can Learn in a Recording Studio

There is a scenario with recording school that has always intrigued me.  I digress, but bear with me.  If I were to ask my mother or a friend how to make a certain recipe that seemed complicated, they would invite me over their house and have me watch them as well as take part in making that specific food.  My mother didn’t tell me to go to school to learn to cook.  All I had to do was to watch her as well as do it myself.  Then why, with something that is so hands-on, do most people point to college and not to just work within a school that connects you with professionals who can show you how to record music or audio?

If you are an aspiring recording technician or engineer and you want to be the best you can be, then you must get your hands dirty.  A record producer friend of mine said it best, “Spend ever waking moment in a recording studio until you can operate the equipment in your sleep. And if you’re spending that much time there, you “will” do it in your sleep.”

During that time in the studio you will learn how to set up microphones and instruments, how to mix, troubleshoot and the remedies that exist for problems that arise.  If there is someone that will mentor you, they will allow you to shadow them and watch every move they make, explain to you why they’ve made that decision and exactly how the whole process works.

After what I’ve just said, now think about sitting in a classroom to learn about recording. It seems pretty absurd doesn’t it?  Of course.  So if you’re still wondering what is the best decision to make to get you operating in this exciting industry then find a recording school that honors the age old principle of hands-on learning.  There are many schools who offer a certificate program and most of the teaching is done by a working professional within a working recording studio.  Ideally, discovering a school that will place you, the student, in an interning situation with a mentor will gain you the most knowledge in the smallest amount of time.

No, recording in a studio is not as easy as baking a cake, but the principle is sure the same.  So if you have a true desire to be the best of the best and learn truly how a recording studio runs and is excellent at making records or recording audio, then you have to find an avenue to spend hours upon hours next to a working professional.  In this industry, the classroom just does not cut it.  And I’m not talking about cake.